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It's that time of the year when the bandwagon of surveys start to circulate. Looking back at the year that was can be quite a good way of gauging where you are in the scheme of things. Another good thing thing about it (for me, at least) is that it always manages to get me thinking how there's been actually more to the year than I've been grateful for. Things come back to me randomly and while I am not sitting down to do my bit of contemplation, there are couple of things I'd like to write about while they're freshly drawn out from my archive of memories of '09.

I am thankful

... for friends who choose to hold my hand even though I am hyperhidritic.
... that all four of us got to travel together again.
... that things have a way of falling into their places when you let them free-fall.
... that I have a mentor who hasn't given up on me.
... that the magic of Christmas still hasn't left me even after 24 years.
... that free tastes (coffee, corned tuna, juices) seem to be around just when you're starved but
too stubborn to break your "i will not be buying food from the mall this time" resolution.
... na kahit busy doing our own thing, my labmates took time to help sort our lab out.

***

There's usually a notebook in my bag whenever wherever. While a cellular phone suffices, for sudden ideas and computers for sit-down ones, there's just something about keeping thoughts in paper. I was leafing through my most recent bind and there are a couple of random stuff I'd like to share.

... we complain about bad days. We ought to think... we always have the choice to sit life out or carry on fighting.

... more than ever, paying forward is making a whole lot of sense.

... things change and sometimes they change in very big ways. The kind of relationship we have with people are not exempted.

... sometimes it's easier... when we have a good reason at hand. Against many advices though, I think it would be much more simple if we could just say what we mean, show how we feel, do what we want to do, and be who we want to be.

... In the carrot-egg-coffee analogy, I'm afraid I'm usually an egg.

... I remember what papa once told me, "if you are able, then give."

***

Some recent pix

Flight was full on our first attempt so we segued to Makati.
We made to HCM the next day.





Mayon greeted me as I stepped out of the plane in Legazpi.
She really is a perfect-cone beauty.





Joined Toni Lei on their field work in Sorsogon.
I'd been missing this kind of view.





We were sorting stuff out in the blue room when we came to the rain gear.
The next thing we knew...!




Dinner out with the ate's.





I jogged early today.
How the trees filtered the sunlight
gave me a different kind of peace.

So missed it that I walked

Back on my own two feet after having spent majority of my waking hours this week sitting on the passenger seat of an L300FB while driving on some better, some worse stretches of Panay's national road. While I had it easy compared to Boss K, who did the driving, I say trying to force your eyelids open at all times isn't an easy task. It would not have been just a small feat if I'd managed to stay awake the entire time. Obviously, I didn't (but there's been some improvement since last month!). I salute everybody who has driven for hours straight! And bow to everybody who drives for a living! :)

***

Not having opened any email or surfed the net these past days, it's amazing to realize how fast messages become threads. My last twenty minutes have been spent, reading everybody's reply! Syempre, I added my own reply to all! :)

***

I have to pay more attention to my calendar, promising myself that before we "break" for Christmas, I'd have looked back and found myself productive. But before serious mode, a couple of short notes:

There are "usual" things that don't strike us as interesting anymore until somebody who finds it "unusual" points it out to us and get us thinking "yeah... he's right." For example, driving in front of us was a tricycle LOADED to the maximum with schoolkids. Three at the back. Three up front. Two behind the driver. Two on top of the sidecar! :)

I wish I had my camera with me to capture that scene. Times when I am too lazy to bring my camera, I wish I also had a compact cam as an alternative.

And on scenes I wish I could capture. Yesterday, we saw two rainbows next to each other! :) It was the most beautiful play of lights I'd ever seen outside of sunrise and sunsets (although I'm sure the Auroras would top this any given day)! Also, it was the first time that I saw the base of a rainbow. No pot of gold there. But as it hits ground, the sight is already "gold enough." Priceless.

And speaking of priceless, seeing planted rice swaying with the wind causing what looks like ocean waves is one of the best free things one can see on a road trip! Also included on my list are scarecrows, farmers synchronized in their planting, carabaos taking their mud bath, and children walking great distances to school (it really makes you take a second look at your own complaints in life).

***

Grade two. I had just learned that I was second in class. Grades weren't a big deal to me (I made myself believe that there was no pressure from my parents or anybody for that matter although I knew there was) BUT the reward for getting good grades was! And that particular year, our deal (my parents and me) was that if I got good grades, I could ice skate! The first time on ice was scary but I was so confident that I'd make it just fine. Yabang! haha! But seriously, di ba there are certain things that you've never really tried but you're sure that if you did try it, you'd do just fine? Well, for me, skating on ice was one of them. I sure fell, but after learning the basics from one of the "guides," I was happily gliding! :)

Fast forward. After close to 2 years of promising to do so, Ayi and I FINALLY made true our promise to ice skate again (I think with the silent conviction that we were going to do so whether anybody else was free or not)! Sheen, Secret and Kat went too. The freedom of being able to glide with very little effort (or friction, may I say) is still something truly wonderful!

While I was attempting to circle my friends skating backwards, a kid approached us and asked if we always skated. I said it was our first time in a very long time. She'd apparently seen our attempts at skating backwards and offered to teach us how. To have a kid teach me for a change, made me realize that, in the same light, older doesn't necessarily mean better. Things are learned because we put our heads and hearts to them. Learning doesn't identify with age or any other classification. We learn because we do.

I was asking Coleen (that was the kid's name) about her skating when we came to the topic of competitions. Did she ever compete? She said, "I don't do that. I've never competed." I asked why not and she gives me a faint smile and said, "I don't like falling." To this I said, "but that's part of the whole thing. You should try!"

Funny. It's so easy to give this kind of advice but then as I deal with my own fears or dislikes, well, it "kinda gets a little hard."

Leading by example? Not all that easy to do. Not all that easy to keep doing so.

***

I just realized that my initial title has not been expounded. Never mind. I just missed walking this week that even though I had a rather heavy bag strapped to my shoulders, I opted to walk back to the dorm. I hadn't been able to walk this week because I was on the road. And then to the start of this entry! hehe... :)

When "public servants" piss me off

I spent the morning climbing up and down four flights of stairs to photocopy my ID, climb up to give the photocopy only to go back down because I had to pay "pala" processing fees at the VCU, and then go back up to show official receipts to the same BID staff at room 414 only to be told that they will need a copy of these receipts at which point another employee offers to have it photocopied for me. Off he goes and then comes back and GIVES ME THE PHOTOCOPY because THEY ARE TO KEEP THE ORIGINAL.

At this point, two staff members (previously missing from their desks when they ought to have already clocked in at 8am) had already resumed their seats...

Lei: Hindi ba dapat sa akin ang original copy ng receipts?
Staff 2: Ay hindi mam, sa amin 'yan.
Lei: Bakit po?
Staff 2: Gusto mo ba ipakita ko sa'yo lahat ng records namin dito para makita mo na ang original ang dapat nasa amin?!

Ang taray ni kuya?!

I don't really know who gets to keep the original receipt in this case. I am made to believe though that I should because the receipt was issued by the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation for a service that I paid for. A [paying] customer gets issued an official receipt AND gets to keep that official receipt, right?

Granting that I am mistaken with my argument, STILL, there is ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE for the said staff to take that tone on me (and just because he is much much older than I am still doesn't count as a good excuse either).

Worse is that even after I say "huwag na lang po, di na kailangan" he blabbers on in a very haughty tone about how "ganito talaga dapat, nasa amin ang original" sabay pakita ng isang folder kung saan may mga original receipts nga, "tingnan mo o!"

Sa inis ko, after signing whatever needed to be signed, I wanted to get the upper hand in the whole thing so I put the photocopy of the receipts and ask him to write down his name and I told him, "to mark that I have given you the originals." He refused to write his name (expected na). At this point, the other guy, turns around from where he was seated and exclaims, "bakit pare, anong problema dito?" Talk about gaining strength in numbers, huh?!

Damn you who pride yourselves in being "public servants" even though you don't live up to it!

***

Ang frustrating talaga when you simply cannot think of a good (and equally shallow) retort! I know. "Don't stoop down to their level." Sometimes, though, I wish I could do so AND get the satisfaction of having beaten them at their own game! Hay naku! Bad bad bad!!!

I have to cut down on having fun to finish my exam. Walk around all day, think a lot all night. :)
For now, some pix.

A photograph struck a weak spot and then I started to cry. I've gotten quite used to not being home but there are certain days of the year that I wish I had the luxury of spending with my family. I missed mama and papa's anniversary and I missed a family trip that hasn't happened in a very long time. I'm happy that they finally took to a trip but sad that I couldn't be there with them. :(

fly away

Riding planes used to be a luxury that a small portion of the population could enjoy. With many airlines competing to draw the most customers, fares have dropped extensively and more and more people can now fly the miles to whichever destination they choose.

Mid-October found Kuya Mar on his first airplane ride. I remember quite clearly our conversation a day before his flight. I was in the front passenger seat and we were cruising on the expressway set for a long drive from Manila to Panay. He then asked me about the field itinerary and I explained to him how his leg of the trip would take us to Pandan, where we'd have to collect the radar data the next morning before we were to drive to Kalibo to meet Boss K at the airport and Kuya Mar would fly back to Manila while Boss K would then accompany us for the rest of the field work. There was a lull in the conversation and then Kuya Mar said, "first time ko kasing sumakay ng eroplano... ano bang kailangan kong gawin?" I can't recall my first plane ride but I know how it must have felt from the moment I walked into the terminal until the plane touched down and I walk out and into a different place. My first plane ride must have involved a great many butterflies in the stomach, a mixed excitement that cannot easily be described. I bet I got a window seat and being strapped into my seat, I must have squirmed until I felt quite comfortable, all the while looking out the window, taking in everything from the ground crew taking care of the baggages, polishing the wheels, checking the wings. I must have marvelled at those wings! How two immobile parts could make the giant vehicle fly! I must have become quite scared as the engines started and I could see the wing's fans propel and go faster with every complete rotation until they almost became invisible with speed. And I must have clutched the arms of my seat as the plane begun to accelerate and finally take off! My father must have then handed me a piece of candy (and my bet is that it was most likely a Halls candy, honeylemon) to help me swallow and cope with the sudden change in pressure on my ears as the plane gained altitude. And then, I must have been dumbstruck as I would then see the city so far and so small below like chips from a monopoly game while the clouds become more than the floating cottonballs I've always regarded them as. The sensation of flight is quite something. Now, I've lost my train of thought. Ah okay! So Kuya Mar asked me what he needed to do so I gave him a rundown of what happens before a flight. His first plane ride... wow! I was very excited for him! :)


On with the subject of travel.

Months ago, my sister booked us a flight to Macau and what follows is how we took in Macau in two short days. There were four of us and our trip started with a late night flight from Manila to Macau where we then found ourselves being met at the airport by two fellow Pinays who were waiting for what Joan had been asked to give to them: a bagful of danggit! :)

The first time I really felt incredibly happy to hear Tagalog spoken outside the Philippines was when Mia and I went on our post-grad lakwatsa to Thailand and Cambodia! I don't think that it's limited to us Pinoys meeting kapwa-Pinoys in other countries. I think it extends to any one person finding a countryman outside his own country. A dose of the familiar in a strange place is still an immeasurably wonderful (comforting, even) feeling. Anyhow, we were going to simply hail a cab to take us to our hotel but they offered to accompany us to our hotel (which they weren't so familiar with either). And since six of us would not fit into a cab, they suggested we take the bus. Grabe din ang mga bus dun! Siksikan talaga. It was a good thing that we were near the front of the line so we were able to grab seats before the bus was loaded to past its capacity! We sped down the road, crossing the bridge from Taipa (where the aeroporto is) to Macau (where our hotel is). Although the ladies weren't too familiar with the place we were staying (we had opted our first night to be cheap so not popular siya with the residents there), at that point, they still knew Macau better than we did so we left it to them to choose where we were going to get off. Fast forward, matagal din kaming naghanap kung saan ang hotel namin. It involved asking two Pinoys and a local, walking without the certainty of where we were going, meeting another group of Pinoys who thankfully knew the place and instructed us to keep on walking until we reached a park where we'd see SunSun. It turned out Ole London Hotel (our hotel) was right next to Best Western. Our first night came to an end, with us thanking and saying goodbye to Ate who graciously guided us to our little known hotel. I hope she's been enjoying her danggit since.

***

I was out to find the cheapest best value for money place in Macau. My sister, on the other hand, wanted to splurge a bit and stay in a bongga accomodation. Our compromise: stay one day in my choice of place and another in her choice of place.

Located in Pra�a de Ponte e Horta, No 4-6, Macau, Ole London is a boutique hotel that received a major renovation in 2008. I came across the place online while searching for budget accommodations in Macau. It took awhile for me to find what then seemed to be a good hotel for a relatively cheap price. It can be pretty hard to find a reliable suggestion on the internet when people tend to have different notions of what is good and what isn't. Usually, I look for keywords: very clean and hot and cold shower being on top of my list. However, some people are too kind with their comments so you'd have to read between the lines to know exactly what they're really saying. This can make choosing very tricky. What won Ole London for me was that I found a review by a Pinoy who quite recently stayed in the hotel with her mother that described the place without sugar coating (she made a pro-con list and there were more pros than cons for me) AND the hotel was registered with the Macau government tourism office- so at the very least, we weren't going to end up in some shabby hostel. It turned out that Ole London Hotel exceeded my expectations. It's a very small hotel but I loved it. The entrance is very "parisian"; the walls in the reception area are a sophisticated red; the bottles of wine arranged in racks in accent walls leading to the hotel lounge; the stairs carpeted; and there was a small but efficient lift. Our rooms were nice and clean with functional minimalist interiors (a straightforward comment, no intention of making you try to read between the lines). The beds were doubles, firm and comfortable, and each with a bed light. We had a flat-screen TV and two complimentary bottles of mineral water. We also had an electric kettle and two tea sets. As for the bathroom, it was also very clean. The water is hot/cold. Towels were provided and we even had a toiletry kit (soap, shampoo, shower cap, emory board, razor kit, etc). The only (and very minor) downside was that there was a rainforest shower but not functional hence the detachable shower we had to use. It was really an incredibly good value for money. And yes, the receptionist could understand and speak English so communication was not a problem either. So if you ever find yourselves in Macau with a small budget for accomodations, Ole London Hotel is hands-down a winner! :) My sister booked the hotel with agoda.com but you can just type on Ole London Hotel Macau in any search engine and there are many other sites through which you can book your stay. The Macau Tourism Office site also gives contact details for Ole London Hotel. Or try this link.

Ole London Hotel

Our bags packed, we head out the next day to move to a place where all the action would most likely be: the Lisboas. We couldn't afford the Grand Lisboa (the new Lisboa) so we booked rooms in its predecessor: Hotel Lisboa (a.k.a. the old Lisboa). We took a cab (with four of us, it was cheaper than riding a bus), and the moment our cab came to a graceful halt, we knew we were going to have one shiny day!

Ate Gay and Ria pose with the Grand Lisboa in the background.

Me and the Casino Lisboa
and (below) at the hotel lobby for check-in.

Our smiles obviously show that we were loving the place. So much grandeur in a kilometer radius, sobrang overwhelming! hehe... We were early for check-in so we just dropped our bags at the concierge and explored the nearby streets first. When we came back midday we finally got to take a quick rest in our rooms!

Our room.
It came with two double beds, coffee table and chairs, a mirrored desk where a lan connection was also available. There was a hairdryer in one of the dresser drawers and a refrigerator with unlimited drinks- cans of Coke, Sprite, tomato juice and San Miguel Beer, a tetra-pack of some berry drink, Perrier Vittel and mineral water- as long as you don't bring the cans or bottles out of the hotel. Meron ding tea and electric kettle.

As for the bathroom...

Ang bonggang-bonggang bathroom!

Tiles pa lang, artistic na! To the left, is the glass (transparent) sink and bonggang mirror. Meron pa ngang concave mirror with lights at its rim para sa mga super vain at gustong i-inspect ang kanilang mukha in very great detail (i.e. pore-size level!)! hehe... There's also a weighing scale (para sa mga weight-conscious). And then there's a glass shelf containing all the toiletries one will need. Pero ang pinakabonggang bahagi ng bathroom ay ang steamshower/tub. So may Jacuzzi-sort na tub and overhead rainforest shower, side showers. Slide the glass doors close, turn on the steam, and you have yourself a sauna! Added bonus ang foot massager and the radio! :) At oo, pag-close mo din ng door ng bathroom, tumalikod ka lang and tsada! full-length mirror! Bongga! hahaha!

Sa ganda ng room namin, if only we had all the time in the world, I would have spent a day lazy inside our room. Syempre, kapos kami sa oras. But I did, spend a good time in our room because I had to bring schoolwork with me. Details later.

Kahit elevator di pinatawad sa picture-picture!

***

We explored Macau by foot. Five to ten minutes away from the hotel was Senado square. It is, undoubtedly, my favorite place. I just love the mix of the old and the new, of the distinct Portuguese and Chinese influences, and I have always loved cobblestone pavements. It's just such a colorful place that I could have easily sat down in a shaded corner and be content observing the wave of people.

Senado square

Sayang nga lang and there were some structures that were undergoing restoration so we couldn't explore them.

Under renovation/restoration.

While we were taking pictures in Senado square, a group of student from the Instituto de Forma��o Tur�stica approached us. They invited us to a free walking tour of Senado square and nearby landmarks. So we accepted their invitation and along with some other tourists na nahatak nila, we went on our way. Medyo mahirap intindihin ang English nila at baka mas may natunan kami tungkol sa mga lugar kung kami-kami lang ang nag-explore pero di naman namin sila magawang takbuhan kaya sunod lang kami ng sunod sa kanila. They were probably just nervous at the start of the tour because they deilvered their lines better after awhile. And I communication really is a two-way process, so I think that when we also loosened up, it was easier to gamely converse with them too. So okay na din ang tour as we progressed.

Inside Leal Senado. St. Dominic's Church.
Friendship between Portugal and China.
Ruins of St. Paul's. Monte Fortress and insignia on the canon.
Us four w/ Cecilia. Concert we'd be missing. Alley. Wedding at the Ruins.

Special thanks to Cecilia and Barry who took turns giving us tidbits of info about the places we visited- Leal Senado, The St. Dominic Church, Ruins of St. Paul's and Monte Fortress. And thanks Barry for giving us instructions on how to get to Margaret's and writing down bus numbers for us. Here's to you guys becoming wonderful tourism men and women in the near future!

***

They say that no visit to Macau is complete without trying the special egg tarts. Barry suggested we go to Margaret's Cafe de Nata to purchase egg tarts and this suggestion we took. We thought it was far so we took a cab from the Ruins of St. Paul's. Turns out if we had simply walked, we would have arrived in less than 10 minutes. Nonetheless, the taxi ride allowed us to view a bit more of Macau so okay lang.

The famous egg tarts from Margaret's Cafe de Nata

***

This is only half of the day. Fearing that I will not be able to continue this already long narrative of our trip to Macau, I end this blog with some random thoughts on travel:

What's added weight if you have the peace of mind
from knowing that you can charge your camera's battery
at the end of the day?

Here's to remind myself never to schedule a travel
right after a school break.
Statistics show that I have always been quite
unlucky with travels post-sem.
On this particular trip, I had an exam and exercises to finish and pass
on or before 6pm yesterday.
So contrary to plans of gambling the night away,
I ended up maximizing my stay
(sulit tuloy ang bayad!)
in our hotel room.
Because I couldn't maximize our short trip,
I ended up sulking everytime a plan I'd formed
in my head to compensate for lost time backfired.
Sulking made me an awful travel companion.

It is rather nice to get lost. Getting lost is how you get to explore
a place without much reference to a guidebook.
If you want to get lost? Pick a famous landmark.
Make that your lifeline (know its local name).
Then ride a bus going nowhere in particular and
get off when you find yourself in a place that you want to explore.
If you don't find such a place, you can always stay on the bus
until you arrive at your starting point
IF the bus does a complete circle.
If not, then you're more lost than you think
and it's time to put your communication skills to the test.
Sign language is more universal than English! :)
It may be best to always have a map.
So that when all else fails,
you can keep on pointing to the landmark you chose earlier
and hope that one of the locals will get what you mean
and direct you there. OR
when all else fails as well (as long as you have enough cash),
hail a taxi and tell him to take you to the landmark. :)

***

If I ever get around to finishing this blog, I'll write about A-ma, the wine museum and the grand prix, halloween, the Venetian, and getting lost in our search for the Taipa flea market. For now, photos:

to be continued (if i ever get down to it).

a hypocritical entry and a walk 'round the equator

I debated on putting off this bit of rant until I finish with the happy stuff because, let's face it, we'd all rather be reading something positive. But if I put this off for last, I will be ending this entry on a negative note so rant first, all good stuff after.

***

I write knowing full well that this entry is hypocritical, that there are instances when I may very well be talking about myself. This, however, doesn't make anything I write below any less true.

Making sure that "my left cheek does not know what my right cheek is doing" is difficult at certain times primarily because I find myself owning the bulk of a "sacrifice" that I had assumed many would be sharing. There are some people who feign concern and some who talk about doing this and that but end up doing nothing and it frustrates me that they can get away with it and still be perceived to have genuinely cared. I know it's wrong for me to think that way but I can't help it. What's even more frustrating is trying to help somebody out of a rocky situation and the help is taken for granted. Not that you don't get a thank you or anything. Some even go as far as claiming that they "owe you big time" but all you'd rather really see happen is for them to get back up on their feet and fix their lives. I know we're supposed to give and not count the costs but is it all that wrong to wish that something good would come out of you putting yourself out there to help somebody else- to later learn that helping them was worth it?

***

Now to the light stuff.

It took Mai's shout out to raise my curiosity and I was soon opening one tab after another of clips from the series and the verdict: I cannot wait for GLEE to air here! Haha! It sure brought flashbacks of high school when some classmates and I gathered enough guts to show up for the glee club auditions (I sang Tina Arena's Burn!) and later found ourselves part of the group that would then be practicing for Sci-hi's tribute to Mam Lumayno where we sang "When I Fall In Love" and some other songs. Lahi ra jud ang kinabuhi nga wala'y music. It would just be a little too bland. So waiting for Glee to reach our shores. :)

See Glee for yourself:

GLEE! :)

***

I asked my sister to send me a scan of my college diploma and guess what else she sent me.

Kulay pa lang, halatang lumang-luma na na photograph. I don't know who's birthday this is but I'm guessing mine which would make this THE cake that my ninang would baked for me on this particular birthday. Naalala ko tuloy ang ninang ko. Laging espesyal ang kaarawan ko, growing up, because my godmother always baked me a cake on my birthday. I was too young then to truly appreciate my ninang's efforts but I sure do now. My cakes stopped coming later on. Ang nakakalungkot isipin is yung dahilan: she lost her house when it was destroyed by a fire. She lost everything she had. :( Even though she had to start from scratch and has not been in a much better state after the fire ang nakakatouch is how she found ways to make my birthday or any random day suddenly special. Once, bigla na lang siyang pumunta sa bahay at may dalang box ng Red Ribbon kasi naalala niya daw na birthday ko. My birthday had long past pero that day became more special than my real birthday because of her. Another time, tumatambay lang ako sa labas ng tindahan ng pinsan ko when she passed by. May bitbit na supot na may lamang twin popsies. Nung nakita ko siya, nagmano ako and she gave me a warm hug sabay inabot sa akin ang isang twin popsies. Sa akin na lang daw yun. I gave it back to her thinking that it might be for one of her grandchildren but she wouldn't hear of it. Tinanggap ko feeling then that this woman wanted to spoil me dahil ninang ko siya. It's really the little things that mean a lot in the long run, noh? :)


That's me in the center with Mama and Ate Gay. Syempre, my father was behind the lens. For every 20 photos siguro, isa lang ang kasama namin siya kasi siya lagi ang kumukuha ng litrato! Hehe. This must have been taken before or after we heard mass. Ewan ko lang. Mas special talaga dati ang Sundays. Siguro, my parents made it a point lang na Sunday, being family day, should always be special. Ewan.

The girl in the white t-shirt with pink-striped sleeves is me with my cousins from my mother's side. This was probably taken during the fiesta since my cousins who live in Bukidnon and Davao are in attendance. So malamang talaga fiesta! Pakals! hehe... :)


See the girl on the left-hand side who's poised with her hands on her lap? Obviously not me. That's Ayen! I'm the other one.

I don't know why during picture takings they never wait until I am in my best pose before they press the shutter! Tingnan mo 'to! Batang yagit!

They should wait until I am this behaved, see?

I
I
V

Dapat kagaya nito!

And...
Kung hindi naman batang yagit, sobra naman ang makeup:

The horror! Parang nakalimutan ata ng makeup artist na kasal ang dadaluhan ko at hindi halloween! O baka naman, binagay lang niya sa stockings ko! I remember these stockings! I couldn't stop wearing them post-wedding. Kahit siguro di bagay sa mga damit ko suot ko pa din ito! :)

As for this...

Okay lang, may magandang excuse naman ako dito eh! This was after "Amoma," a school play that I was a part of. My one and only theater experience if not counting third year high school's Les Miserables where I played one of the students of the revolution who donned a footmop instead of a beret dahil wala kaming budget! Hahaha! Ay! There was one more! Antigone. Where I played Ismene and Soleil played Antigone (and I think we got the part dahil magkakambal daw kami! haha!) but now the only lines I can remember are Antigone's and not mine: "Ismene, sister, mine own dear sister, knowest thou what ill there is of all bequethed by Oedipus that Zeus fulfills not for us twain while we live? Nothing painful is there. Nothing frought with ruin..." Short my experience it it was, theater will always have a special place in my book. Amoma opened me to the stories of many interesting women: Joan of Arc, Rachel, Sisa, Cory Aquino, Emily Dickinson, Mother Teresa and the many domestic workers. Ang daming lessons. Naging curious ako sa maraming bagay kabilang na diyan ang literature at social studies. There, I learned to recite Nancy R. Smith's "For Every Woman" that, in more ways than one allowed me to be okay with gender differences without being tolerant of discrimination either. And syempre, we learned many songs: both original scores for the play and classic tunes. Basta kakaibang experience ang theater. In a way, I was lucky that my sister was a big fan of musicales then (at may Miss Saigon tape pa talaga siya nun). I simply stumbled on her interest and found it to be to my liking! :) Tapos yun pa ang time na naging uso ang VHS at ang bilis lang gumawa ng kopya ng mga movies so we had a copy of Sound of Music that was very very much abused. :)


Blame it on my sister if this entry is too long! A walk down memory lane is not just a quick stroll in the park. It's a journey around the equator! :) Hehe...

Blame my sister for this photo din. See our matching hairstyles? I say we just followed the leader! Uso talaga ang hairstyle na yan dati! We were simply following the norm! hehe... This was on one of our summer vacations sa Bukidnon. I'm sure we're singing here (synchronized opening of our mouths? hello!) What I'm not so sure is what we're looking at. Videoke? Uso na ba ang videoke that time?

Many summers were spent in Bukidnon. Many summers were spent watching Three Ninjas (I had a huge crush on Max Elliot Slade's character, Colt, although I never told anybody that! haha!), playing with my cousins neigbors sa plaza, sa streets, sa pinyahan. I learned to bike there after we had waited for our uncle to get off from work in the plaza and I rode on the bike , pushing the pedals, while he pushed its rear only to suddenly send me speeding down the grass-covered grounds and heading towards a canal which, to a little young girl who didn't know how to bike, was a life or death situation so I tried to control the bike while constantly working on the pedals and safely crossed the little bridge to the other side of the canal! :) One of my proudest moments! Driving a car is a different story!

Soccer kuno

Bisikleta

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My sister must still be busy scanning pictures in her free time so I'm sure to receive more scans in the future pero in this batch of photos, this has got to be my favorite:

Papa.
(Old skul!)